In a remote Ethiopian village, a mother treats her child’s fever using a mobile app. In rural South Africa, a farmer boosts her yield by testing soil quality via her cellphone. An elderly man banks online, saving himself a day-long trip to town.

For Prof Darelle van Greunen and her team at the Centre for Community Technologies (CCT), this is what science diplomacy looks like — not summits or formal treaties, but lives changed because technology was designed with those lives in mind.

Under Van Greunen’s leadership as director and founder of the CCT at Nelson Mandela University, the centre is spearheading a people-first approach to digital inclusion. Their work, recognised with the Science Diplomacy for Africa Award, is built on a radical idea: the most powerful innovations emerge when communities drive the solutions.

“Our core philosophy is to showcase Africa’s capabilities — created in Africa, for Africa, by Africans,” she says. “We don’t start with the technology; we start with the challenge. We listen first. Then we build together.”

That principle underpins every project. Rather than parachuting in pre-built tech, the CCT team works hand-in-hand with communities to design solutions that are context-specific, culturally grounded, and sustainable.

“We measure success not just by downloads or data,” Van Greunen notes. “It’s in the stories. A mother understands her child’s symptoms. A farmer doubles her harvest. Those are our milestones.”

Their work extends across the continent, from SA to Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and Kenya, through partnerships with governments, universities and NGOs. This has established the CCT as a diplomatic force, acting as a knowledge broker between previously disconnected stakeholders and siloed sectors.

“Science diplomacy means using our expertise and partnerships to connect communities, researchers, and governments in solving shared challenges,” Van Greunen explains. “We build not only tools, but trust — bridging the gap between policy and lived experience.”

But for Van Greunen and her team, sustainability goes beyond technological solutions. “It means building capacity and empowering local communities while fostering local ownership.”

This philosophy ensures that communities can manage and evolve the solutions long after her team has moved on.

Beyond technology, she says CCT is driven by a broader vision for Africa’s future. “To unlock Africa’s full potential, we must focus on bridging technology and human development in areas like climate resilience, digital health, and inclusive education that balance technical skills with human-centred competencies like ethics, empathy and critical thinking.”

Van Greunen and her team see the NSTF award as both recognition and fuel. “It validates the hard work we’ve put into making sure innovation starts with people, and inspires us to go further, reach more communities, and continue building technology that truly listens.”

The stakes, she warns, couldn’t be higher. “If we fail, we risk deepening the digital divide and marginalising vulnerable groups. But if we lead with empathy, inclusion, and local knowledge, we can shape a digital future that belongs to all of us.”

Read the special Mail & Guardian supplement about all the NSTF-South32 Award winners.